Nivellensem Ergo Vitium
by Hardman 5509
Summary: A city always needs heroes to fight back the crawling evil. These are the stories of two such heroes. Contains a OC. Rated for T for language and material. Flames are accepted.


Nivellensem Ergo Vitium

_**The big city. A place filled with both wonder, and horror. **_

_**You have to look deep for either, it depends on the city. Often, horror is the most common factor. **_

_**But the police in those cities are the wonder. The ability to fight against the horror is a sight to be seen…or experienced. **_

_**This is Kuroshiro Tierra. A city filled with good cops, and bad people. Yes, I said bad people. That includes cops, politicians, and even their families. I can't tell you the numbers, they don't exist, but the good cops are severely outnumbered. **_

_**But the good ones are the best ones. The city is safe, if we continue to train people to be honest.**_

_**I like this city. I lived here for sixty years, and seen it all.**_

_**I have seen a old man jump in front of a moving vehicle to save a child. I seen a woman give her credit card to a homeless girl, and later adopted her. I have seen cops save the city over and over again, for nothing more than 'just doing my job'. A rich man threw parties for the homeless. The wonders I've send outweigh the horror.**_

_**Now, the tales of two detectives. The tales of the city's finest cops. The rises and falls. All the crises they stopped and the lives helped. They show the wonder, and vanquish the horror. The focus will be on those two, but there will come times where we will need to focus on other people to add detail to the story.**_

_**I wasn't present in all of the crimes, nor do I remember everything that happened. But thanks to police reports and newspapers, I can give you the full story.**_

_**Enough of my ramblings. The first case they solved together. He already had his badge, and she was walking the streets. The case was given the name:**_

**THE FAST FRIED MAN**

Richard Cat is a man of few tastes. Simple clothes, simple job, simple food. Wore a white shirt, with a red tie and blue jeans to his job at the Grey Paper Co. Same meal every night. Joker's America No.3 Red Ace Burger; cheese, tomato, mustard. Dr. Pepper. Upgraded the fries to large. Then he drives home in his '89 Chevy. Talked to the same people day in, and day out. You may think that this is silly, but people do have their trenches. Richard had one for ten years, and he didn't want it to change. Some sort of mental something-or-other created this, and he wanted nothing more or nothing less.

Then, on November 16, 2014, his life changed. A little bit. For one brief moment, he got something different.

What is Joker's America? A colorful family owned card-themed American restaurant, it stood there for twenty years with the same people running it before this thing happened. I had a meal there on the day of the crime. Just a plain hot dog. Tasted good. Real shame.

Richard went inside at 7:44:56, as usual. He came around here within the hour. Never late, not rain, nor hail, nor sheet, nor quake, not even a hurricane.

He dug himself so deep that he didn't notice that no one was there. Not a soul. Normally, anyone would find this weird, as the place was popular. But not Richard. Richard Cat almost lost the need to speak, everyone knew what he was going to say. Even the dimmed lights didn't tip him off. Then again, he never did notice anything. He just expected things to be the same.

"Hello?" He called out. No one answered.

For once, he looked around and the saw the obvious things that provided to anyone that something was amiss.

Courage was something new to Richard. But he knew that something was preventing him from getting his Red Ace Burger combo. He looked over the counter, and nothing was there. At least no body.

So he climbed over and landed in ground alien to him. He felt nervous. The kitchen door was ajar, loose by a missing screw. Richard took a deep breath of air and walked in.

And screamed.

Patrol Officer Soifon was first on scene, having heard the scream. Just four months after joining the 23rd Precinct, she was ready for anything. Grabbing her gun, she ran inside, making her way to the continuous screaming man. The kitchen. Ready for anything.

Except for a man being fried.

* * *

><p>"You okay now, Officer?" Asked a detective with three scars leading down the right side of his face. Soifon looked up. "Thanks…Detective?" She put down the bag.<p>

"Hisagi. Detective Hisagi. Don't worry, your first body is always the one that gets you. Throw-uping is a sign of improvement in the force."

"But this one is Kentucky-Fried. I don't think nothing is going to top that."

"Wait and see, Officer. Wait and see." He held a hand to her. "Would you like to walk through the crime scene?"

She took the hand. "Might as well."

The two entered the restaurant together. The place was still being swept by CSI for anything that could be useful. Someone tore the place apart. Tables were overturned, chairs smashed, and food was spread all over the floor. The dimmed lights hid the rest of the scene from Richard.

"Your first crime scene?" Asked Hisagi.

"First crime." Soifon replied. Hisagi smiled.

"I better give a crash course, then. All right, let's got to the primary scene, the kitchen. Can your stomach handle it?"

"Yeah." Soifon inhaled, braving up. "The door suggests a struggle." She pointed to the poor hanging door.

"Ah, but this place is off to the side. Can you say without a doubt that this has to do with the murder?"

"…" She stood in thought, only moving to let a CSI walk out. "I can't say either. I can't prove that has to with the murder, but I can't also prove it doesn't have anything to do with the murder." Hisagi nodded in approval.

"Good. You can't let the evidence lead you everywhere. Innocent people have been put away by that. You got rely on your gut, and find the evidence that is 100% right. In short, don't assume anything until you can prove it or disprove it."

"Right."

The two walked into the kitchen. The area was smaller, but more crowded than the restaurant. The body was placed down on a towel in the middle of the room, so everyone had to step over it every minute just to move around.

"All right, all right, move…homicide is here." Hisagi announced. "Make room." Though people did make room, there was a lot of groaning.

"Okay, Officer, what can you see on the body?" Hisagi pointed to the fried body. Brown and yellow, wrinkled all over, still smoking a little, a face contorted by pain, and burned clothes fused with the body. Some flesh remained; small bit and pieces were left, leaving only burnt bones. However, the hands and feet were intact, as they weren't submerged in the grease pit. Soifon inhaled again, steeling herself.

"He's been cooking for a while. Looks like someone didn't want to leave anything behind." Soifon said. "Do we have a I.D. on the guy?"

"Not until I get him on my table and look inside." Soifon looked up to see a kind woman with black hair, braided in front of her. She was wearing a black medical coat. "I'm the M.E. Retsu Unohana. I don't see much patrol officers investigating dead bodies, or just even investigating at all. I suppose you come from a police family?" She smiled.

"Yes." Soifon frowned. Her family connection is something she didn't openly talk about.

Unohana caught on. "All right. I can fill you in with the more details, if you want." Soifon nodded. Unohana titled the corpse's head to the left. "Do you see what I see?"

"A flattened head." A four-inch long, six-inch wide, and one-inch deep impression laid on top of the head, going down to his right ear. "This can't be the death wound, isn't?"

"No. He died by drowning."

"He drowned on grease? Probably painful."

"Oh yes. His face proves that." She tilted the head back, showing the face of a man screaming at his last moments. His mouth, showing black teeth, was wide open. "His lungs would also been burnt to a crisp by the grease, but now I wouldn't be able to tell. The wound on his head probably knocked him into the grease pit."

"So, a possible accidental death, caused by a struggle?" Hisagi asked.

"The outside area may prove that." Unohana got up. "That's all I can do. Fingerprints are gone, both his and any that he might have got during any sort of struggle. DNA is either melted or evaporated. I try some other ways, but this might not be a happy ending."

"Don't bother." Everyone turned…and groaned louder. Soifon turned to Hisagi, who groaned the loudest.

The man who entered was young, early twenties. Besides his basic black peat coat, his clothes weren't all that special. His face was the most striking. Rectangular-framed gasses tilted to the right side of his face, a semi-mustache and beard with little sideburns, (Semi meaning light.) and a black flatcap. He stood out from the other more serious-dressed detectives. He started to hold his own investigation.

"Who?" Asked Soifon.

"His name is Sylvin Wallace, goes by Syl for short. He's also homicide, but he's the most annoying person you probably ever meet." Hisagi sighed. "He keeps popping up everywhere; it's almost like he can smell the crime being committed. You can almost tell, just by the look in his eyes, that he knows the answer to what's going on. Did you know that he raised the closure rate by thirty percent?"

"Thirty percent?" Soifon said, in natural disbelief.

"Those pen-pushers were able to figure that out. I don't believe it myself, and neither do the other cops. On the other hand, I worked with him several times, and know first-hand that he is the cop that the papers declare him to be. He can really solve classes with amazing precision, it's scary."

"So, he's your partner?" Asked Soifon. Hisagi chuckled.

"Ha! No, my partner is in the hospital; long-term medical issues. He doesn't have a partner, and before you ask, he requested to stay alone. Says that he's prefers being a 'lone wolf', his words. He's the best, but God help me if I say that to his face."

"You just did." Both Soifon and Hisagi jumped when they heard Syl and felt his gloved hands on their shoulders. "Now, if you're done expositing, can we get back to our fast fried man?"

Hisagi threw the hand off. "All right, what did you find? Or, did your super powers reveal something you can't show?"

Syl laughed. "I wish, but you need a job, Hisagi. I found a wallet in a trash can right outside . Didn't need to dig opened the top, and 'oh, hey, a wallet!' It's filled with cash, credit cards, and I.D. Seems to not be missing anything, all the pockets are full."

"We have been thinking that is an accidental murder." Hisagi said. "The murderer panics, and quickly hides the wallet. He, or she, doesn't know what to do."

"Correct." Syl replied. "But if this his the victim's wallet, they missed a huge opportunity, this guy probably had trouble walking with this in his pocket. I counted, 3.2K in hundred dollar bills. But before I reveal who this is, it's best to confirm. Doc." Unohana looked at Syl. "Call you tell anything about his face?"

Unohana rolled the head around twice. "Judging by the remaining flesh, he might had have been obese. And this…" She showed the evidence bag containing a faint short hair. "…could be his last remaining hair. So, old and obese male, possibly sixty." Syl sighed. "That's his wallet, is it?"

"Right on, Doc." Syl turned the wallet around for everyone to see. "And, believe this."

The I.D. showed a smiling, white-haired, obese-faced, tanned man. The name read…

"Clifford Rayland? The Farm King?" Hisagi said in surprise.

"Yep. Our case just been pushed to the top." Syl handed the wallet to a CSI to bag it. "Say, Hisagi…who's the officer? I didn't ask, sorry."

"Officer Soifon, sir." Soifon saluted.

Syl waved his hand. "Don't bother with any formal crap. Why are you investigating the crime scene?" Before Soifon could answer, Hisagi walked up to Syl and whispered something into his ear. Syl nodded. "All right. If you need help, just ask me, or Hisagi." He stopped, and scratched his head. "Or…just me. Hisagi is new to homicide." He smiled. Hisagi also smiled.

Hisagi spoke. "Then again, this guy dated CSI Captain Kurotsuchi's daughter. I'm surprised you're alive and here." Everyone in the room started to giggle. Nemu Kurotsuchi was forbidden fruit, Syl tried, but got as far as halfway through the first date. The record was a complete fourth date; Syl tried to break it. Soifon have heard stories about Kurotsuchi's crazy antics, which included keeping his daughter away from others. And from what Soifon heard, Kurotsuchi couldn't…well…take a guess. The story behind that is hidden under a layer of threats by Kurotsuchi himself. It was too embarrassing to tell.

"Didn't I tell you two to get along?" A younger voice entered the room. Syl and Hisagi saluted as their captain, Toshiro Hitsugaya, entered the room. The youngest captain on the entire force, he preferred serious workers rather than friendly comradely. Said it got cases closed. He looked at the wallet. "The Farm King, huh? Definitely priority one case, everyone. Keep the press in the dark until we get something." He turned to Hisagi. "Listen, I need you somewhere else."

"Captain, what could be more pressing the death of the Farm King?" Hisagi asked.

"Not my orders. Commissioner called. He wants _Syl_ on the case." Toshiro said with obvious annoyance in his voice. "And the officer who found the body is to be given temporary detective status. Apparently the Commissioner likes you, Officer Soifon." And he said that with a rare smile. Soifon put it together.

"Detective Hisagi, can we have a word? Alone?" She grabbed Hisagi by his coat and moved him outside the kitchen, and around the coroner, where the CSI have finished looking.

She calmly left him go. "Your father said that you wouldn't take it very well."

"Well? I don't like it. I don't like when my father pulls strings. I want to climb on my own." Soifon angrily said.

"Sorry, sorry. When I called about the officer finding the witness and body, I received a personal message from the Commissioner himself. He said to let his daughter to be involved in the case. Said it was good for her." Soifon turned to walk away, but Hisagi got in her way. "What's wrong with you and your father anyway?"

Soifon titled her head down. "He cares more about the job, and the family legacy rather than the individual person."

Hisagi remained emotionless. "I've heard that before."

"You're right. I'm just the daughter of the popular and hard-working Commissioner of Police, now trying to become a cop."

"It's the story of every cop's child. I have the same problem. Dad was in Task Force. Wanted me to follow."

"Did you?"

"For a year. Moved to homicide. And here I am."

Soifon remained silent. She couldn't really answer that. Her father wanted her to be a cop since…since birth? She didn't know. Sure, she wanted to be a cop, but not like her dad.

A deep breath calmed her down. Just one push, once. Let her dad give her the case that could make her. Just this once. This is the case of the murder of the famous Farm King. A man who owned 3/5 of the farms in the state. Well known for this gracious donations to the city, and being very honest. The most scandalous thing that happened to him was that of a worker who stole money from the company and blamed it on Rayland, but the thing was resolved in the manner of a day. She met one once, during a ball that her father bought her to four years ago. Nice man, she remembered.

"All right, I work it. But why should I work with Syl?" She asked.

Hisagi shrugged. "Your dad likes him?" He replied.

"He never mentioned him to me."

"He just recently became a press favorite. Your father has taken control of that, and is calling him his favorite. Good for votes." Hisagi waved to the door. "Come on, future Detective. Let's go save the world." He had a little laugh before walking in.

However, he got pushed out by the body of Rayland. "We're done here." Said Unohana as the body got loaded into the coroner's van. Syl pushed Hisagi even further, just to annoy him. He walked over to Soifon. "Come, my partner, let's us go save the world."

* * *

><p>The 23rd Precinct was going crazy. The news of the death of the Farm King had reached the squad room, and everyone was wondering the outcomes. Was he killed because of a bad business deal? A spurred lover? Secret mob ties? A family trouble? Someone from the past who might have been ripped off? Many theories have popped up, but none of them were even getting anyone close to finding the murderer.<p>

Syl and Soifon walked into the office of Toshiro. His office, to be simple, is white. The desk, the chair, cabinets, and other smaller objects were white. Toshiro found that the color white helped him calm down. The Captain waved his hand to the two seats in front of his desk, inviting them to sit down. The two obliged, so Syl turned his chair around to sit down first.

"Are you going to do that every time we talk in here?" Toshiro asked.

Syl shrugged.

Toshiro sighed, but moved on. "Listen. The Farm King's death is hitting papers, and I can't stop it. I need you two to move fast and close this before everything comes unglued." He turned to Soifon. "Your father, the commissioner, has asked you to work with KTPD's most finest…" Toshiro sucked in a huge breath of air, bracing. "…cop. Due to the nature of the death, most of the DNA is gone, so you have to search long and deep to find anything useful. Unohana just contacted me, she said she will try to find something, but we can't rely on that alone. Start with the restaurant owners. Ask if Rayland contacted them. There has to be a reason why he ended up in their grease pit." He opened his desk and retrieved a card, and handed it to Soifon. "My number and e-mail. If you officially make it to Detective, memorize it and give it back. I only have four."

Soifon got up and asked, "Sir, should I continue to wear my uniform?" Toshiro took a minute to think. "No. Go home first, and change into something a bit more like a normal detective. You need to blend in, just in case. If this case doesn't make it, hold on to the uniform." Toshiro also reached into a cabinet and retrieved a notepad. "Get your own pencil. I've a bad problem with people not returning anything." Soifon pulled out her own pencil to show. Toshiro nodded in approval. "And that's all I can give you. You still have your badge and gun; you're still a patrol officer, but with some special rights. Syl will help you."

"All right!" Syl got up and stretched. "I'll drive you home, you change…" He looked at his watch. "…we grab a burger, and we talk with the guys who own the restaurant. So, chop chop!" He clapped his hands twice. "I've a feeling that the Rayland estate is going to send someone to annoy us." He walked out, closing the door behind him. Toshiro growled.

"Does he do that all the time?" Asked Soifon.

Toshiro sighed. "The man plans ahead. He likes pushing buttons, and with the record he has, I can't do anything to him. All I can say is, may God help you."

* * *

><p>A common thing you notice in the field is that citizens have a hard time noticing something not in plain sight. I have at least five cases where someone was murdered in a public area and left, and no one noticed him for several hours, even days at one point. And that victim was found by a blind man. A blind man since birth!<p>

But they seem to notice the more obvious things, like a loud snoring man in a car. Syl tried to get some sleep (Using the paper with the Farm King's death as cover), but every five minutes someone knocked on the car door, telling him to stopping sleeping in his car and get a job. Despite him flashing a badge every time, people still bothered him. He liked the nights, but the nights didn't like him. Go to bed before 3 am or faint a hour later. The only time he took off work was to go to a sleeping seminar to fix the problem. It helped him stay awake longer, though now he fell asleep unless something had his attention. How long does a women need to change clothes? It takes him about three minutes to change and prepare for work. That limit had been twice, thrice.

But finally, people started to leave him alone. Now, he can get some sleep. He had been working since…well, a night ago. Wow, he wasn't trying for any records. In fact, any record that involve the word 'long' were those he wouldn't even try to break. Too short in height, and couldn't go that long. He went to a 417 first thing two nights ago. That took two hours, ended with the man throwing the gun away, and getting shot when the gun went off. (He'll live.) He went back to the station to talk with Captain Toshiro, and off to a nightly cruise, with caffeine pumping his system. Responded to three connected 459, and dealt with both in record time. Spent the remaining hours until the Rayland homicide doing paperwork and twiddling his thumbs. It takes a good 24-hours to wear him down. And unless something important happened, he was going to take a nap.

Murphy's law, anyone?

"Hey!" Syl shot up, hitting the roof. He held his hat tight down to ease the pain. He grabbed his badge….

"Officer?" He asked.

"Yes, it's me." Soifon had switched from her blue and black uniform to something more comfortable. Blue jeans, a white tucked-in shirt/blouse (Syl wasn't a expert on female clothes, save for the obvious, of course.), a black coat, and she tied her hair back into two long braids bound in white cloth with a golden ring at the end of braid. She seemed to be more relaxed than she was in her uniform.

"Dress like this often?" Syl asked.

"Open the car. We have work to do." Soifon tried to open the door, but it was locked. "Unlock the door."

"First, answer my question."

"I can see why you don't have a partner."

"Back at'cha." Syl pulled from driver's door compartment a file. He opened it and skimmed it. Soifon banged on the window. "You only had one partner in the four months you've been working. A Marechiyo Omaeda, as in Omaeda Industries? Oh? Oh man, oh man, oh man, man, man! You kicked the future CEO in his family jewels? Sha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! It doesn't say why you did! That's stupid! Tell me, why did you sexually assault Officer Omaeda?"

"Sexual assault?"

"Officer Soifon, kicking a man in his junk is considered a sexual assault. Now, unless you have a good reason…"

"He asked me on a date, okay?" Soifon continued to hit the car.

"And you turned him down…oh, his picture. Okay, that makes sense. But still, I've meet several girls who would date a toad just to eat at a fancy restaurant."

"My…dad…is…the…police…commissioner!" Soifon now tried to open the door by force. "He raised me better than that. I'm no bimbo!"

"So, back to my first question. Do you dress like that often?"

"Fine! No. My dad had been commissioner for fifteen years…"

"And you're twenty-two. Besides, I knew that."

"Ergh. And I've wore more formal dresses. My dad did leave some outfits when I became detective, and this is one of them. Now, are we going to do anything today?"

Syl tapped the door switch, and Soifon entered the door the second the lock went up. "Why did my dad partner us up?"

"Well, my partner…" Syl said as he turned the key in the ignition. "We're the only two people in the force to not be partnered. So, it makes sense to have us work together."

"No it doesn't."

"Ah. But if we can't work with anyone else…" The car shot forward. "…then we're perfect for each other. We have a lot in common."

"…no we don't…" Soifon said under her breath.

* * *

><p>Joker's America was still closed off by police tape. But this didn't stop business. The owners, Reed and Myra Kaplan, got permission from the police to work outside. They bought a old-fashioned grill outside, and it became just like a picnic, with people bringing blankets to enjoy the best burgers in town. Four officers were stationed here to prevent any loyal customers from entering the building.<p>

"Ever had something from here?" Asked Syl.

"I don't like meat, I like fish." Answered Soifon. She decided to answer any of Syl's questions with simple answers. Hopefully he'll get the hint.

"They have fishburgers. Pretty good too, had one once."

"I prefer dishes to sandwiches."

"Fancy, eh? You need to live more."

"I'm fine."

"Don't be such a snob, not every good food comes from a starred restaurant."

"I had fast-food."

"…really?"

"Yes. I had some fries from Nick Doogle."

"Best fries in town! These guys come in a close second. But they have better burgers."

"Oh really?"

"Well, if you want to have the best fish in town, check out Zetta's. Man, I'm not a big fan of fish, but they can smoke salmon like…"

"Shut up."

"Fine, fine. Just trying to be friendly."

The two found the couple stuck in between four grills, shoving out burgers and dogs like crazy. Other employees worked with the money, paper plates and forks, and condiments. Reed was in his late 40's, red hair, black-rimmed glasses. Myra; mid 40's, brunette ponytail, wore a short red scarf around her left arm. Their smile seemed like to be immortal.

"KTPD. We would like to ask some questions." Syl said in a professional voice. Soifon was impressed. She may now see the great detective that everyone talked about. She done mock-questioning back in camp, and it was now her first time.

"Oh, hey, honey, the detectives are here!" Said Reed in a loud Southern voice. It gathered attention.

"Well, well! Maybe after this we could back in?" Asked Myra, also with a loud Southern voice, putting away her cigarette.

"Sorry, sir and madam. The restaurant is closed until the case is finished, or until we deem the restaurant clear. Don't worry, you can continue to hold business out here, and at the most…" Syl spun his left hand around several times. "…two days is all we need." Syl sounded and looked dead serious. He withdrew his notepad and pencil.

Reed sighed. "Ah well. Thanks for the notice." He pointed at Syl. "I like a man with honesty. You and your partner can have one sandwich for free. Whatcha like?"

"First questions, then we'll eat." Syl flipped to a page. "Do you know the deceased?"

Myra spoke up. "Sure! The Farm King, Clifford."

Soifon decided to speak up. "Clifford? Did you know him, professional and/or personally?" Syl looked at her, looking impressed.

Myra tried to speak, but her husband beat her to it. "Well, professionally. He came down to the restaurant to eat some of our food two nights ago, and offer us a deal." He seemed forlorn.

Syl caught on to that. "You know, recently, 'Clifford' has gotten into the habit of going to family-owned restaurant and buying them up. Offers them support and lets the family run it. It seems harmless, but if you accept, The Farm King turns your place into his place. Refuse, and you get a bad rep around town. So, how did your meeting go?" Syl said. Soifon continued to be impressed. How come Syl acted the way he did? He changed personalities in seconds!

Reed didn't react and replied, "Well, we gave him a good meal, and he liked it. We promised him to give him free meals for life, and he promised us to spread out name. He understood, and he left." However, Soifon paid attention to Myra, who fidgeted.

She approached Myra. "Excuse me, ma'am. You seem uncomfortable. Perhaps is there something you would like to get off your chest?" Myra jumped. Reed tried to comfort her.

Myra instead blurted out, "Okay! Mr. Rayland said he really wanted to buy us; he knew that our popularity would only grow. Reed here…" But Reed looked at her and she went quiet.

"Sorry." Reed smiled again. "Myra…used to know Rayland before we got married."

"Oh?" Syl said, reverting back to his regular tone of voice. Soifon didn't mind. It made sense to humor a bad liar.

"Yes, Detective. Clifford met Myra 30 years ago. They dated for about three years before he moved on to Ms. December." Syl's face slightly fell. Soifon saw that, and knew that the lie couldn't be proved or disproved. Everyone knew about Ms. December and her affair with Rayland. It was doubtful to find anyone who would remember the couple.

Syl moved to his next question. "According to the hours…" He pointed to a window that showed the restaurant hours. "…the restaurant is open, but the first witness walked into a darkened, vacant restaurant. Where were you? Why was the place dark, and not locked?"

"Oh no, detective." Reed looked legit confused. "We locked up early to go home."

"Why?" Asked Syl. "Don't you know Richard? One of your regulars?" Soifon looked behind her, and saw Richard, eating his combo on a blanket. He seemed to be confused.

"That's just it, detective." Myra spoke, with a calm voice. "We locked the place, which we left clean. Someone might have broken in."

"So why was the place wrecked? And how did 'Clifford' end up in your grease pit?" Asked Syl.

"Why are you asking me?" Reed said with a real voice, as if he didn't know. Soifon didn't notice anything on both Reed and Myra's faces. But then again, the first question spooked them good. They might have prepared themselves, and the first question was just practice. Syl looked at her, acknowledging the fact.

"All right. You don't have file a report. The murder charge trumps that." Syl said. He wrote down something in his notepad and continued. "One more question, then you can resume work. Do you have any idea who would have a reason to kill the Farm King, besides the usual business rivals? And who else could access the restaurant?"

"Well, Ms. December is dead, you know that." Reed said. Soifon recalled the event two years ago, where Ms. December (Her name was unknown, a theory was that she was a criminal from another country.) died of liver problems. Rayland's break-up with her caused a downside spiral, which led her to a severe drinking problem.

"Oh! What about Dog?" Myra said, which alerted Reed.

"As in Custer 'Dog' Farlane?" Asked Syl in a surprised voice.

"Yes, that guy." Reed said with a trembling voice. Soifon turned to Syl to ask, but he looked back, silently telling her 'later'. Rayland did mention him at dinner. He said something about getting protection from him, if that's any help."

"Thank you." Syl put away his notepad back in his petticoat. "Anything else you may want to tell us.?"

"Sorry, can't think of anything." Reed replied, taking a swig from a bottle that laid next to him. "Don't worry, nothing alcoholic."

"That's fine. If you remember anything, just ask one of the officers for Detective Sylvin and/or Detective Soifon." Syl said. Soifon didn't have time to say anything about that, for Syl was walking back to the car.

She caught up to him, where he said, "Good work for a first-timer. You caught on real fast."

"My dad…"

"…taught you? So did I, and nearly every detective in the city attains his seminars. You can't be a good detective without keeping secrets. In speaking of which, what's your opinion on those two?" Syl winked, reverting back to his usual annoying self.

Soifon thought for a quick second. "You spooked them with the first question. They were ready for the last two."

"Because those are general questions. Without evidence or a witness, they could say whatever they want, and when we prove them wrong, they will be ready…with an apology."

"So…suspect number one?"

"Depends." Syl opened the passenger's door. "Ladies first."

"Can I drive?" Soifon asked, but Syl laughed.

"Sorry. You have to detective to drive this car."

"Funny. You just referred me as DETECTIVE Soifon."

"Slip of the tongue. You're an unofficial detective. Given rights by Commissioner to investigate, but still limited to the powers of a officer."

"Fine." She entered, and Syl closed the door behind her. "Thank you." She said once Syl sat down in the driver's seat.

"Eh." Syl started the car and drove off. "Let's end back to the station. We need to find Dog."

"Yeah…about that…"

* * *

><p>"Custer 'Dog' Farlane. Nicknamed for his habit of biting people." Hisagi pointed to a picture of a dirty-blonde, shaggy-haired, five o'clock shadow man holding a prison number card. He didn't look happy, even more than the regular prison photo. Syl, Toshiro, and Hisagi set up a board filled with reports and photos to introduce Soifon to Dog.<p>

"This guy is a annoyance." Toshiro said, with the same tone of voice that he used to address Syl. "He tries to do every crime in the book, and ends with him blowing himself up. This guy has been arrested fifteen times in the last six years." He pointed to a photo to a severely bruised black woman. "First crime, the only one we can call ourselves proud for solving. Found a random woman, beat her up, and left bread crumbs to him. He wanted to be caught."

"Oh, Snowball!"

"Rangiku." Toshiro gritted his teeth. In walked a very busty blonde woman, who attracted the eyes of every man in the building, save for the three at the board. She dressed in the way that showed her curves, and she looked to be very opened about it. Soifon's noise twitched.

"Don't forget the one detail that almost killed the case." She got right behind Toshiro, which made him even angrier. But he calmed down, rubbed his forehead with his right hand and continued.

"Yes. Soifon, this is Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto. Rangiku, this is Temp. Detective Soifon." Soifon handed her hand out for a friendly shake, but Rangiku grabbed her with both hands and pulled her into a tight hug. She felt like she was getting strangled. It took all three men to save her.

"She does a lot. Get used to it." Toshiro said while Soifon sat down to regain her breath.

"Anyway." Rangiku tapped the board with a wooden pointer that she found. "Dog did leave us a trail leading to him, but he made one stupid mistake."

"And that was leaving a clue to another, which he hadn't set up yet. And yes, we found him leaving the next clue. He tried to fight, but that lasted all of ten seconds it took for Officer Rukia to take down. Ever since then, he hasn't made a crime worthy of being called a crime." Toshiro said, with a sigh.

"Here's my favorite." Rangiku pointed to a report filled three years ago. "Tried to rob a opera's safe. His way in was smart; steal a ticket and a suit, and make his way to the empty office during intermission, when the owner was mingling with the customers."

Soifon looked closer. "Arrested for property damage?"

"C4." Hisagi said, trying to hold back laughing. Soifon, the type of person whose laughter is rare to hear, held back with a 'heh'.

"Well…this one…" Toshiro grabbed the pointer from Rangiku and pointed to a picture of a blood-stained reddish-brown purse. "Actually made D.A. Byakuya laugh. He robbed Ms. Unohana…yes, the coroner. She went after him, and Dog pulled out a knife."

"That's his blood on the purse, right?" Asked Soifon.

"He's alive, and has all fingers and toes. One slice to the arm was enough for Dog to surrender. His lawyer feel asleep during trial." Toshiro said with a rare grin.

"Our captain likes to read old reports of Dog after a long, hard day." Said Syl. He snatched the pointer and pointed to three photos of bruised girls together in a group. "One more. These three are sorority sisters attacked on three different nights. Money stolen, hair clipped, and underwear stolen. No sexual assault. Funny thing is, Officer Rukia had became Detective Rukia in SVU, so she had the honor of taking on Dog again."

"And fourth night was the night Dog was caught." Soifon said.

"You're catching on." Syl pointed at her with the pointer. "Yep, One tackle and he's was down. And all had a good laugh." Syl tossed the pointer, and it landed perfectly on a desk.

"Okay, this journey down memory lane was fun, but now we need to find the Dog in the present." Toshiro tacked on a report to the one open space. "This is the recent arrest, a month ago. Went after a credit shark with a baseball bat, ended up hurting a innocent bystander with wild swings. Arrested, sentenced five weeks, but…escaped."

"Escaped?" Asked Syl with a loud voice. The room went quiet. Everyone looked at Toshiro. "Dog escaped? From jail?"

"Yes. The Dog escaped during a prison transfer. After reaching the new prison, he grabbed a guard, took his gun, and shot his way to freedom via a car, which was found a hour later, dumped." Toshiro voice cracked. "He killed three, wounded none. I received word only a hour after Syl and Soifon left, with receiving the video of him escaping just 30 minutes later. He's going to die, if we find him."

Syl remained silent for a moment, then spoke. "Sounds good. Dog is a idiot. We have evidence showing him shooting the guards. And he has a habit of making more mistakes after the initial crime. I know it's against your belief, Hisagi…" He looked at said man. "…but I think he's guilty of murdering the Farm King."

"Yeah, but..." Hisagi replied, with little emotion. "Dog killed three men without hesitation. We have proof of that, but not of the Farm King homicide. Still, he needs to be found. The murder of a federal officer is instant death. And if he is connected to Rayland, then our work is done."

"Good. But of course…" Syl sat down on the desk that the pointer laid on. "We need to find him. Kinda hard to convict a man who isn't there. But hey, Byakuya could do it. I recall him trying to prosecute a corpse."

"The dead man faked his death for a insurance scam." Toshiro replied.

"But hey…" Toshiro glared at Syl. "All right! Where is Dog's doghouse?"

"Halfway house, on 143rd Brownstone Street." Rangiku said, giving Soifon a card for said house. "The house has a permanent reservation for him. Better tell them that the good news."

* * *

><p>"Good news? That's the best fuckin' news I heard in fifteen years!"<p>

Soifon stepped back from the big man, who wore only a white undershirt and khakis. Syl smiled. The owner of the halfway house smile was unnatural; his face didn't seem to be used to that.

"I can finally throw his stuff out! I could smell his stank from two floors down!"

"Sir, CSI will do that for you. So until they come, keep the stuff. We would like to look around first." Syl asked, showing his badge. "Parole officer gave us his blessing, and he says hi."

"Tell him that the game is tomorrow, at my place." He turned around, grabbed a key, and gave it Syl. "Room 407." I recommend to wear gas masks."

"We'll be fine." Syl walked up the stairs.

As they reach the second floor, the owner was proven right, a horrendous smell entered their nostrils. It got worse as they went up. When they reached the room, the smell started to make their eyes tear up.

"All right, hold your nose." Syl, holding his nose, opened the door…

"Wait, this room smells fine." Soifon let go of her nose and went in, putting on latex gloves. Sure, the room was a hoarder's paradise, but it smelled okay. Syl entered and turned the light on, gloves on.

"I guess he got the room wrong." Syl said, looking in a pile of papers.

"Or Dog was the smell." Soifon replied, managing to find a nightstand.

"And I found proof of your theory." He held up a can of air freshener. "It's empty. And there's a pile of it. I'm gonna to find the bathroom." He threw the can back into its pile and waded through the trash.

The drawer was stuck, but one quick, hard pull was enough to open it. Some dried gum literally gummed it up. She found one thing, a small untitled book. No name on the spine. She opened it. Ah, a journal. Did Dog know that parole officers are allowed to do random searches, as he was arrested for drug charges twice? And look, page one: '_I stole a purse, and gave the credit cards to some dumb street kid. Now the police is off me, and I now have a extra three hundred, plus gift cards.'_

And, in the back of her mind, Soifon tried to remember if the police could track gift cards.

Okay, last page. Ah, the last page with the last entry.

'_Wait.' _ Soifon thought. '_This entry mentions the jailbreak, but not the rampage. And, hold on…'_ She touched the page, on a sentence. She looked at her hand, and a small black mark was here. _'He was just here! Which could mean that the owner is in on this, or he snuck in another way.'_

A note on the bottom written in purple ink said, 'GOING OUT TO GET NEW JOURNAL.'

"Is this guy really going out in public to buy a journal?" Soifon whispered.

"Yes." Soifon jumped up, and turned around to see Syl with his hands behind him.

"Don't…do…that." Soifon said through clenched teeth. "So, the bathroom?"

"More cans. CSI is going to have a field day. Those poor nerds." Syl laughed, and pulled out his cellphone. Soifon took a quick thought, and grabbed the phone. "Yeesss?" He asked.

"He's coming back. Let's wait in another room." She pointed to the kitchen. "He was just here, Syl."

"Ah. Good thing I bought these snack-sized bags of chips." Syl retrieved three bags from his petticoat's pocket. "Want one?"

"You'll contaminate the scene."

"Eh, I'll tell them to look and ignore the small cheese crumbs. Suit yourself."

* * *

><p>An hour went by, and Syl had finished off all three bags, stuffing the empty husks back into his pocket. "I'll throw them away back at the station." He said.<p>

Soifon had done several mock stake-outs, with both her dad and at the academy, but this one took it out of her. The kitchen was small, and the piles of random junk made it even smaller. She never was claustrophobic, but it started to grow on her. Maybe she should taken up his offer. Couldn't have burned away some minutes.

But salvation came. The door opened and…hey, the owner of the house and Dog walked in, almost friendly like. Syl smiled.

"Hey, Dog. Funny, rent control said he wanted you gone." Syl shouted loudly. Soifon didn't have time to react, both guys ran out the door they just entered. Both detectives took no time to catch up. The owner (Who needs no name.) turned around and threw a meaty left hook at the first thing coming his way, Syl. But Syl was on guard; he rolled with the punch and grabbed the arm and pulled him down to the floor together.

"Go!" He shouted to Soifon. "I'll handle Lard-man!" Soifon didn't need to listen. She didn't stop running.

Dog was pretty fast. He made it to the end of the hall, where he kicked down the first door he saw. He ran inside, throwing a lamp at Soifon, who ducked under and continued to run. But Dog made it to the fire escape first, and closed the window behind him. Soifon, not wasting any time, grabbed her gun, held the barrel end, and smashed the window.

Dog was on the track team during his only two years of school, so climbing up the rusted metal stairs was no problem. Place had seven floors, and he got to the top in thirty seconds. He done this before, climbed to the roof, and slipped down through a seventh floor room. Sure, it had been two years since he pulled it off, but now there was a balcony installed. Just jump down and continue to elude the cops until they gave up or managed to escape entirely. Worked eve…

"KTPD! PUT YOUR HANDS UP AND GET DOWN!" Dog jumped.

Soifon had also been on her school's track team. All four years.

Dog had outrun bullets before. The balcony was only about ten feet away. Move fast, keep your head down, and dive. He done it before, he only got nicked in his thick winter coat once. This was a rookie, judging by the fact she was working with Syl. No way she could make the shot.

Go!

"Hah!" Soifon got to him first, not with a bullet, but with a kick. Spent too long thinking.

Dog had no fight training, but plenty of fight experience. He didn't even feel it. He threw two punches, only the last one hitting Soifon in the chest. She stumbled back, but recovered and kicked back. Dog grabbed her foot and tossed her down, but she wanted this, and swept Dog's legs. She jumped on him, and tried to cuff him, but he struggled. She started to punch his face several times before being knocked off. She feinted a punch to the head, which he held up in a block, allowing her to roundhouse kick Dog in the stomach.

Dog yelled, and launched a fury of punches, which Soifon rolled to the side and again swept his legs. She moved to his side, and kicked him to turn him over. She grabbed her cuffs and tried to again cuff him, but he turned over and grabbed her by her shoulders. He tried to throw her, but she managed to kick him in his man zone with the tip of her foot. One stomp on the same zone was enough to finally send Dog down.

Syl, bruised and looking annoyed, managed to catch up with Soifon, and got to watch her cuff Dog.

"Darn, forgot my camera." Syl got over to Soifon, breathing heavy. "I think your father would want a picture of his daughter's first arrest." Soifon managed to smile.

"How did it go with the owner?" She asked.

"He got tried."

* * *

><p>"Good thing he didn't bite you." Said a young, grey-haired lady. "I heard he has rabies."<p>

"Rumors are often untrue, Ms. Kotetsu." Unohana said. "I recommend not to spend much time with Ms. Matsumoto."

"Yes, Ms. Unohana." Isane replied. She applied a bandage to Soifon's head. "There. You're fine."

"Thanks, Doc." Syl thanked, as he got off the table. "You didn't need to come all the way down here just for us. I'm mean, yeah…" But before Syl could finish his witty remark, he stopped. Unohana just smiled at him. Syl decided to walk away, and wait for Unohana to leave.

"You're new, right?" Asked Isane.

"Yeah." Replied Soifon.

"Just a quick warning. Ms. Unohana doesn't like boasting."

"And Syl has a habit of boasting."

"Not as much as Sergeant Kyoraku. She does respect everyone, but she will not tolerate boasting."

"…I think we will get along just fine."

"Yeah! Oh, I'm sorry…I'm Isane Kotetsu. Assistant to M.E."

"I'm Soifon, Temp. Detective." The two shook hands.

"Ms. Kotetsu!" Unohana called from the entrance. "Bring the cart! Emergency!"

"Hold on!" After mouthing a quick good-bye to Soifon, she grabbed the cart and rushed to Unohana.

"Okay. I figured it out." Syl said, having recovered from Unohana's glare. "The owner has a second boss, a drug cartel. This not only serves as a stop in the drug route, but also as a drug house." He patted Soifon on her back. "Congrats. You took down a murderer of three federal officers, and put a hold on the drug trade. Your dad is gonna to love ya."

"Bah." Said a tough, growly voice. The two turned around to see a tall man with spiky hair and a scar leading down the left side of his face.

"Temp. Detective Soifon, meet Vice Captain Kenpachi Zaraki." Introduced Syl. "And I think he's angry."

"Angry?" Bellowed Kenpachi. "You maniacs blew it up! I've been cooking a investigation trying to find the stop on this street!"

"Which…we found…in a state-sponsored house." Syl spoke slowly to Kenpachi. "Even if you knew, you were going to have a hard time getting in. The state likes halfway houses."

"You do know that I don't care about politics."

"So, on a hunch, you would have just busted down the door, looking for something you think is there."

"Undercover work! That's what Vice does best!"

"Did you just come here to complain at me?"

"Every cop would want to do that!"

"True…" Syl looked away. He heard this before. "But you do know that I don't care about drugs, just guys who kill. You can have the drugs."

"I know that. I just wanted to complain to you face-to-face."

"Fine by me."

"Good. And you didn't make a joke that time."

"I had to fight a smelly, obese man. I lost my good mood."

"But you'll get it back in a hour."

"Yep."

Kenpachi growled. "Don't you have the Dog to tame?"

"Not my job." Syl pointed at Soifon. "Hers."

"Her?" Kenpachi pointed, weakly, at Soifon. "The commissioner's daughter?"

"The commissioner's daughter."

"Stop pointing." Calmly, but angrily said Soifon.

"Fine." Kenpachi said, holding his hat down. "I'll take the drugs and the fat man, you'll take the Dog to the grave." He sighed. "Shame, I used to bust him for drugs. I'm going to miss him."

"We all will." Syl said.

* * *

><p>"Did you do mock interrogation?" Asked Hisagi.<p>

"Once." Replied Soifon.

"Well, Dog is the best practice for beginners. Better be lucky, this would be the last time any one will ever do this with him." Hisagi laughed. "Better be grateful."

Soifon uncharacteristically laughed. "Don't worry, I will."

Hisagi stepped back. "Wow. Did you…laugh?"

Soifon smiled. "Only with people I like and/or know."

"We only know each other for a day."

"Better than Syl."

"Well…" Hisagi scratched his head. "Syl is random. We warmed up in a month. Toshiro? A year."

"What about me?"

"I say…umm…you're a female…you work together great…a week?"

"A female?"

"Syl loves the ladies."

"But the ladies don't love Syl."

"Oh yeah. Full stop."

"I heard that, you know?" Syl said behind them.

"Yeah." Soifon replied. "I knew."

"Fine, fine. Ready?" Asked Syl, pointing to the door.

"Sure. Lead the way."

Dog had spent, in total, three and a half days in the hot room. Not just this one room, but had at least spent two hours in every precinct's interrogation room. Many detectives have sweated him, and he remembered every detective's name, favorite things, and tactics.

But against a new guy? Not a chance.

Soifon sat down, and Syl told the police officer in the room, "Thanks, we'll take it from here." The officer left the room, the moment after, Soifon threw down the snapshots showing Dog grabbing a shotgun and firing at a guard. "Well, you're doomed."

"What're you talking about?" Dog spoke with a southern accent, like a hick. Smelled the part too.

"Today's your lucky day, Dog." Syl circled around him. "Today is the day where you no longer have to deal with us."

"What the hell you talking about?"

"This maybe a picture…" Syl retrieved his I-Phone from his pocket, and pressed several buttons. He shoved the phone in Dog's face, and the man got to watch his last performance as a criminal. "…but this is a video of you, murdering three prison guards in cold blood." Syl smiled. "You had a good run."

Dog looked spooked, but calmed down, relaxing his face. "That's not me."

"Ah! You haven't used that excuse in years!" Syl slapped Dog on the back. "That excuse never worked. NEVER. Hey, Soifon! Did you know that this guy tried to frame the senator once?" Syl laughed, and Soifon even had a little chuckle at this. This guy had a incredible record of being the worst criminal ever, and yet, he managed to kill three and escape, and then had the balls to deny the obvious!

This was going to be fun.

Soifon took a look on his face. He seemed to be high, based off his dopey looks and slurred speech. He did manage to relax his face, hiding any slight fault that Soifon could exploit. Okay, Plan B. Get him to admit to the prison break, and move on to the Farm King.

"Okay…prove it." She asked.

"What?"

"Prove to me, and my partner, that isn't you." She pointed to the picture of the man holding the shotgun. "Go on. Give me a reason to not send you to death row."

Dog lost his cool, and grabbed the photo. "Well…uh, uh…umm…"

Soifon looked on his face again. Sweat and grease. Nervous. Eyes beading on the picture, looking for anything that could save him. Just one detail to keep him off the noose. Sweat was pooling. Breathing was starting to get hard; his smell reeked to high heaven.

There!

"A twitch of your nose, Mr. Dog. That's often a sign of lying, according to Detective Rukia's report. Also, even if you didn't murder the guards, you still escaped. You're supposed to be in jail, remember?" Soifon's remark caught him off guard, as well as Syl, who whistled.

"But…"

"No." Soifon held her finger up. "You're supposed to be jail. I would like to hear your excuse."

Dog thought about it, with Syl keeping track of time on his watch.

"Twenty seconds." Syl announced. "Time's up." Syl slammed the desk, creating a scream from Dog. "YOU killed the three guards. YOU broke from jail. And I have the feeling, that YOU killed the Farm King." Soifon instantly saw the mistake. Sure, he got the first two right, but had no evidence about the last one.

"What?" Dog rightfully asked.

"Where were you…" Syl started to flip through his notebook. "In the afternoon, around 4 PM, on November 16?" Soifon then realized where Syl went to before this.

"Uhh…at the halfway house." Dog meekly replied.

"Well, that's going to be a little hard to prove, considering that the guy in charge now has a criminal record." Syl stated.

"Check my journal. I broke out of jail, I will admit to that, and headed back to the halfway house. Look in it."

"Yes, we did." Soifon said. "But you wrote that recently, the ink was fresh."

"I…wrote over it."

"Pardon." Asked Syl.

"I went out to visit a old friend, and we went fishing. I came back, and I couldn't read it, so I wrote over it, realized that my journal was full, and left."

Syl groaned. "Listen…"

"I went with the Farm King, Clifford Rayland."

Syl screamed. "ARE YOU SHITTING ME? IF THIS IS YOUR ALBIBI, THEN I'M FUCKING KING OF SCOTLAND!"

"W-w-o-oah…" Dog backed away.

"ARE YOU TELLING ME…THAT YOUR ALBIBI, THE REASON WHY I SHOULDN'T THROW YOU INTO THE CHAIR AND FRY YOU IMMENDIATLY, IS THE DEAD MAN?"

"Dead man?" Asked Dog.

"The Farm King is dead." Said a calm Soifon. "It's everywhere on the news. We just mentioned it to you. Are you saying that you don't know that?"

"…He isn't dead. We met at the bar on 34th Bar Street in the afternoon. We traveled 25 miles to the Rotorville Park and fished. And then we went back to the city, this morning, we parted ways, and I went back to the halfway house."

Syl banged his head against the table. "…you're damned. Sure, the murder of the guards already kills you, but you're going down for the murder of Rayland Clifford."

"Listen, I can explain." Dog held up his hands.

"Man, I'm going to pistol-whip in a minute." He twirled his pistol around in his hand once, and held the barrel. "So…"

"Hookers and whores."

"Excuse me?" Questioned Soifon.

"He hasn't come back yet, because we also went to Rotorville to bang some whores. We've been doing this for years."

Syl looked bamboozled. "Wha…"

"You want proof?" Dog put his hand into his raggy pocket, and pulled out a photo. "Here, he took this with his new camera." The picture showed a cleaner Dog and Rayland, both wearing tacky Hawaiian shirts, and both had their arms draped around scantly dressed babes.

"Syl…" Soifon silently said. "He didn't do it. Look." She showed the photo. It was clearly shot at night. The photo also showed the digital time and date, the same time that the King was dead. Of course, this would need to be checked, but she knew that Dog was innocent of the murder of the Farm King…or, the guy in the grease pit.

Syl sighed, and went outside, motioning Soifon to follow. She followed, and they were meet by an annoyed Toshiro.

"Cap?" Asked Syl.

"Dog is going to die, and Unohana just called me with the final results." Toshio replied.

"It isn't the Farm King." Syl solemnly said. "Rayland ditched town." Toshiro nodded.

"So…" Soifon questioned Syl. "The time of death was a bluff?"

"Yeah. It worked, but not well." Syl sighed. "Simple deduction really." Syl lightly laid his head on the wall. "We wasted a day on this guy."

"He escaped from jail and killed three officers." Toshiro said, in a gentle voice. "You caught him, for the last time. And we discovered that the Farm King is alive, and someone stole the man's wallet to hide the murder of…someone else."

"Damnit!" Syl shouted. "The restaurant owners! The Kaplans! They said that Dog was after Rayland. And Rayland did come to their restaurant, so they had opportunity to steal his wallet! They must have known about Rayland leaving town." Syl stormed out. "Come on! We need to 'follow up' on the Kaplans!"

Soifon stood there for a minute, before Toshiro convinced her to leave with a look.

* * *

><p>"What did your dad tell you about shotguns?"<p>

"You better have a good damn excuse to have one in your hands."

"Correct." Syl locked and loaded. "The couple here has lied to us and owns two pistols. They're also inside, having convinced the patrol officers that they needed to fix their faulty oven, a lie. Plenty of cover for them, and open space for us. Back-up is coming." Syl reached into the trunk again and retrieved some aqua-blue shells. "My home-brewed water-loaded shells. Meant for a painful takedown."

"Is that…legal issue?" Asked Soifon, checking her pistol.

"Cap approved. We like bringing back the baddies alive." He put the shells in the leather holder.

"Detectives?" One of the patrol officers jogged up to Soifon. "I heard some guns being loaded."

Syl held the shotgun up with one hand. "All right. Sounds like we got some unregistered guns in the place. You guys are back up until the real back up gets here. That's about five minutes, but we need to get in there now." He gave a look of confidence at Soifon. "Ready, partner?"

"Ready."

The two detectives went to the front door, while the other two went to the back door.

"Radio-check." Syl announced on his ear receiver.

"Check. Loud and clear, over."

"Are the doors open in the back?"

"Roger."

Syl took a deep breath, and then started to pump air in and out of his nostrils. His eyes narrowed to a stilt, his fingers held the gun even tighter. Soifon noticed this. He looked dead serious. At least he's armed with non-lethal ammo. He motioned to the door. Soifon walked up to it, looking through the windows, but saw nobody. At the door, she readied herself…

"Go."

…and kicked down the front door.

Several shouts came from the back, and with that, several rounds of fire. Not just pistols, but also heavy-caliber machine guns, small-caliber machine guns, and shotguns.

"We got five." Said the voice over the radio. "I repeat, we have five perps, all armed to the bone. They have two hostages, I repeat, they have two hostages."

"Go! Get out of here!" Syl yelled out loud, not only to get the officers to leave, but also to draw attention to themselves.

On cue, three beefy men in cheap suits ran out from the kitchen, firing randomly into the restaurant. Syl grabbed a table and knocked it down, giving him and Soifon cover.

"I know one of them!" Syl shouted over gunfire. "He's the credit shark that Dog tried to whack! Tony…" The gunfire stopped, as something whistled through the air.

"GRENADE!" Soifon shouted.

"GREANDE?" Syl asked. Soifon grabbed him by his coat, and yanked him to a booth, before the grenade destroyed the table in a fiery flash.

"WHY DO THEY HAVE A GRENADE?" Syl asked.

"NOT NOW! FIRE BACK!" Shouted Soifon, as she got up to fire off three shots, and ducked down. Syl looked around the corner, and noticed that one of the gangsters was bending down to grab his gun, shot out of his hands. Syl pointed his shotgun, and fired a single shot, knocking the man into the wall.

"Good shot!" Syl announced, loading the next shot. "Dad?"

"Yeah." Soifon responded, and firing a single shot, hitting another, this time in the right leg. He went down, screaming and yelling. That got cut short.

"Bastard." Syl said, looking around to fire off a shot. "He killed the guy you shot. Take him alive." He ran out, circling around to the get the third man, firing three, and loading four. The third man ducked behind the counter, grabbing the deceased shotgun, and trying to hit Syl. Syl got into another booth, guarding his face from debris with his hat.

He motioned for Soifon to come over. She ran as fast as her legs could, letting her legs do the running for her, trying to get the guy. Pellets came close to her shoulder, but she managed to roll into the booth. She released the empty magazine, and threw it at the guy, quickly reloading to shoot him while he focused on the flying magazine. He dodged, but barely.

A fourth man ran out, screaming loudly and firing, like a mad man. Soifon threw a napkin dispenser at his head. He got knocked out, empting his magazine in the ceiling. He contributed nothing to the fight.

The last man walked out, holding a gun to Myra's head. She looked scared, but intact. Her mouth had been gagged with duct tape, but there were no other binds.

"Listen! To! Me!" Yelled the last man, the oldest and finest dressed of the lot. "There's no need for that!" Which he spoke with a more calmer voice.

"KTPD!" Syl shouted, loading his gun again, to hopefully dissuade the crooks. "Release the hostages, and give up! Reinforcements are the on the way! Resistance is pointless!"

"Listen, listen." Said the old man, his voice became very calm and peaceful. "We came here to pick up our property that the owners stole from us. They tried to shoot us, so we fought back, in self-defense."

"Negotiation isn't going to help!" Syl yelled, jumping up and shooting, only to destroy an empty shelf.

"We just want to leave with our stolen guns. Just…" He screamed before he could finish, as a bullet entered his left leg, fired by Soifon. Myra knocked him down with he elbow. The third guy lifted his gun, but received a shot from Syl, landing right next to the first guy.

"Reed!" Syl yelled. "You okay?"

"Yeah!" Reed came out, his arms tied behind him. "Thank god you came! These mobsters used us to store weapons. We had to lie to you about Dog."

Syl gave a look of disbelief to Soifon.

They were still lying, even close to death.

* * *

><p>"You're still a temp. detective?" Asked Isane.<p>

"Yeah." Replied Soifon.

"After uncovering a drug house, taking down a killer of three federal officers, and taking down gun runners?"

"Not officially."

"Yet?"

"Yet."

Isane smiled, and applied some antibiotic on Soifon's left arm, having received a bruise when she moved across the room. "Second time today I had to do this to you guys. Is this going to be a running gag?"

"I don't know. Ask Syl."

"I attract trouble!" Syl moaned. "It's not my fault that I often land myself in hotspots!"

"Nice guy." Isane joked.

"It takes a while." Soifon replied with a smirk.

Unohana whistled, wanting the two to move for the gurney. She loaded the dead gangster into the coroner's van. "You're keeping me busy." Said Unohana to Syl.

"Well…if we didn't, you would be out of a job."

"True enough." Unohana replied, closing the doors. "We're done here."

"Okay. See you later, Soifon." She waved good-bye as she entered on the passenger's side.

"Date tonight?" Asked Syl, with his usual smile.

"No." Soifon responded with as little emotion as possible. "Here comes Cap."

Toshiro walked up to the detectives, on the way punching the wounded boss in the arm. "I thought I was going to regret it, but it looks like I should have asked for you myself. You're cleaning this place up very nicely."

Soifon's face grew a dark red color. "Well...as much as I have to admit to, Syl was there."

"Hey Cap!" Syl shouted. "Partner here shot a gun out of that guy's hands!" Pointing to said man, being shoved into a police transport.

"Really?" Toshiro smiled. "Makes sense, seeing of course she scored 289 of 300 on the firing range. In short…"

"Yeah, yeah." Syl walked to his car to get something.

"He scored just above passing, right?" Asked Soifon.

"251 of 300. He has to use special equipment on his issue pistol, which he had to buy on his own."

The two went quiet for a minute. "Your dad called." Toshiro said. "He wants to commend you on a such a good job you're doing. Says that you're promotion to official detective is going to for certain." He held his hand out. "I'm starting to like you."

"Thanks." She shook back. "Syl is weird, but I think I could get used to him."

"Good. The high-ups are getting on my back about partnering up Syl."

"You have a really bad habit of talking behind people's backs, you know that?" Syl said, laying his hands on the two's shoulders. "Come on, we better talk to the Reeds again. They should know who the guy was in their fryer."

"Hold on." Toshiro grabbed Syl by his collar. "I came here to tell you some things."

"You came down on your own? What about Hisagi, or Rangiku?"

"Rangiku is off, and Hisagi is visiting Tosen in the hospital. He's going to make it, but…" His look said it all. Syl's smile turned into a neutral line. Soifon just stood by, sadly not knowing the man. She would ask later. "CSI found a screw in Myra's loose jacket pocket. Evidence showed that had been stripped off violently."

"The door." Soifon recalled. "The swinging door to kitchen was loose by one bolt. I remember that from my first visit to the place."

"Which indicates that Myra may fought the fast fried man." Toshiro said.

"Fast fried man?" Asked Soifon.

"It's catching on." Syl proudly said, his smile returning to his face.

"Of course, her lawyer would just say that the screw ended up there because of a accident." Toshiro said. "Second. We took fingerprints from Reed and Myra. Reed proved positive to the prints on a 'Wet Floor' board. Mind you, the legs of the board."

"Which matches the head wound." Syl replied. "So, the owners have something to do with the death of fast fried man. But we can't prove it with what we have. Any third-rate lawyer could save them."

"Ah. Until I say this." Toshiro said. "Third. The fast fried man is actually Robert Eagleton. The Kaplans' boss." He smiled.

"Boss?" Soifon asked. "I thought they owned this place."

"It's his land, building, and supplies. His co-workers have mentioned some troubles with the Kaplans, such as money issues, and even illegal items on property."

"Liquor." Syl announced, earning looks from the other two. "The sign on the front door. That also explains how the Kaplans knew about Rayland leaving down. Got him drunk and acceptable to questions. After that, they arrange a talk with their boss, and kill him with their fryer. Arranged the scene, and blame it all on the most obvious man."

"But we can't prove it." Said Toshiro. "At least, without a confession."

"Impossible, at least..." Replied Syl with a slight ting of anger. "We need to look inside again. Now that we know this, we could find something we or CSI missed."

"All right." Toshiro said. "We'll hold them. Get someone from CSI to help you."

"Hey you!" Syl shouted to someone with short brown hair wearing a CSI coat. "What's your name?"

"Mihane." She replied with a meek voice.

"Follow us." Syl went past her into the restaurant. She tailed behind Soifon, a little scared.

"Noggins together! Come on, what did we miss?" Syl said out loud. "Mihane!" He shouted, she jumped. "What did CSI find on the second trip?"

"We know that the Kaplans has something to do with the guns we recovered from the secret cabinet." She replied, reading off her notes. Soifon noticed the clean, clear and cursive handwriting.

"Secret cabinet?" Asked Syl, scratching his chin. "Show me!"

"You're in front of it." She pointed to the shelf where Syl shot the shelf. A sixteen by thirty-two inch safe was hidden by the color of the paint and no visible way of opening. Water had eroded some of the paint, and the hinges were shot up.

"Ah. I'm that good." Syl proudly said with pride bursting through his chest.

Woah. I wrote that.

"Moron." Soifon said under her breath. She spoke to Mihane normally. "How many guns recovered from this safe?"

"16. Three modern shotguns, two wooden, five carbines, two BARs, one Chicago Typewriter.."

"Can I have it?" Asked Syl.

"No."

"Ah."

"…one LAW and one helicopter gun. Yes, they dismantled a gun from a helicopter and turned it into a portable weapon. All are customized, and none have any tags."

As soon as she finished, Syl dug inside the empty safe and started to feel around. "Secrets hide other secrets. I have a feeling that this safe hid more than guns." He stopped for a moment. "Wait. Outside of blowing it up, how would someone open it?"

"Umm…" Mihane rapidly flipped through her notes, trying to find the answer. "Oh! A small electronic lock, opened through a small 'eye', by a keycard or something."

"Let me guess." Soifon said. "Water destroyed it." Mihane nodded, and Syl just shrugged, continuing to search. "Listen, I think we need to look in the kitchen. It's secluded…"

'_Click'_

"Jackpot, baby!" Syl shouted, retracting his hands to hold them up. "Whatta do I win?"

"Look!" Soifon pointed to large support pole in the middle of the room, as it moved over six inches to the right, revealing a open manhole.

"Oh no. Not a basement." Mihane gasped. "Not a basement."

"What's wrong?" Asked Soifon.

"It's a secret basement." Mihane went stiff as a board. "Secret basement. It's evil. Dark and twisted. Bodies, buckets of blood." Her face slowly went from worried to pure fear. "_ IDONTWANTTOGOIDONTWANTTOGO…" _Syl grabbed her and slapped her three times.

"Pull it together." Syl patted her on the head. "It's not always 'Seven'. Gun runners often hide more guns in secret basements."

"And we couldn't check for a basement, because the deceased is the only one besides the Kaplans who knows the floor plans." Soifon said, realizing something. "Eagleton may found out about the basement."

"That might be motive." Syl said, jumping onto the ladder. "But, what is in the basement?" He slid down, disappearing into the darkness. "…flashlight…" His voice could barely be heard all down the pipeline, but Soifon still managed to hit him with the flashlight. They couldn't hear him cry in pain.

When they joined him (Though Mihane had to be coaxed [Read: Shoved down]), Syl had just recovered and looked peeved. The tunnel was old and made from stone, possibly made a hundred years ago.

"Ah. The old subway tunnels. The earthquake of 1921 buried all of them, or so we thought. Very useful for criminal activities." Syl said, showing the end of the tunnel with the flashlight, just ten feet away. "Let's go."

Carefully, with the detective's guns out and pointed, they made their way to the end.

"Oh." Syl said. "Darn. I was wrong."

Instead of showing a old railway, instead there was a giant room, the thing that stuck out was the giant poker table, which could fit 12 people. There were plenty of poker supplies in the room on large shelves, but on the west wall, there were supplies for a bar, which laid on the back wall.

"Gambling, and gun running?" Syl started to guffaw. "Hahaha! Soifon! Sha-ha-ha-ha-ha! You're a detective now! Hoohoohoo…" Soifon slapped on the back of his head. He adjusted his glasses and spoke normally. "Ahem. Today has been in your favor, Detective Soifon. I know it's not official, but there's little chance of you not making it."

"So…" Soifon questioned. "Eagleton might have found the secret basement…"

"The Kaplans owned the place for twenty years under Eagleton's controls. Plenty of time to build a secret poker room." Syl stated. "Eagleton made have found the bills showing the expenses."

Soifon nodded. "So the Kaplans arranged for Eagleton to come over after the Farm King came to eat. They get him drunk, find out about his secret trip, and steal his wallet. Eagleton confronts the Kaplans…and he's killed…by both?"

"The problem is…we found the bolt from the door in Myra's jacket, and his fingerprints on the murder weapon." Syl said, with a annoyed tone. Nothing conclusive, and they're protected by spousal privilege. Breaking both of them is the only way we can convict them, but I like said when we first talked to the Kaplans…"

"They'll be ready…with a apology." Soifon said, with a smile.

"Right." Syl nodded and headed back. "I'm going to get more CSI. Do you want you can." He disappeared into the darkness.

"Oh." Soifon said.

"What?" Asked Mihane.

"He has the flashlight." Soifon stated in a bored tone of voice.

"Oh."

* * *

><p>Syl and Soifon faced each other.<p>

"Comfy?" Asked Syl.

"Yes." Replied Soifon.

"Good."

"And you?"

"I'm fine."

"Good."

"Because we're going to be here awhile."

"I'm completely okay for that."

"All right." Syl leaned back. "Homicide has been here, in this house, for ninety years. There's no chance we're moving."

"Totally fine." She said, behind her new desk. The two had returned back to the station, but only after Syl returned with the flashlight and CSI. When they got there, a new desk, with a computer, a phone, and some writing utensils the only things on the desk, had joined up Syl's desk. Toshiro walked by, and handed Soifon a nameplate, which read: _Detective Soifon_.

"Not official, not yet." He said, before entering his office.

They sat there for a hour, waiting for the results of CSI's second search. Soifon had left her desk free of personal effects, for now at least. They spoke just once, and remained quiet. Syl was playing games on his computer, having finished his report so far, and Soifon was working on her computer, putting some basic information in.

"Does the Cap like it when you goof off?" Asked Soifon.

"If he did, he would have placed blocks on all gaming websites." Syl replied, smiling over his new high score.

"Don't let him hear that." Soifon replied.

"I don't think he would know how to." Syl laughed, though quietly.

Mihane walked in, wearing some regular clothes. She walked over to Soifon and handed her a report. She whispered something into Soifon's ear and silently walked away.

"You scared her, you know?" Soifon said out loud. "She doesn't like being left alone in the dark, especially underground."

"You shoved her down the ladder." Syl shot back. "You're meeting her tonight, with Isane right?"

Soifon's eyes went wide. "How…"

Syl pointed to his left ear. "You can whisper all you want, but I will hear it." Before Soifon could react, Syl placed a twenty on her desk. "Buy her something nice. I recommend the Orange Tree, has nicest salads in the city. And don't ask me why I know that, that place brings me nightmares."

"You like to listen to yourself." Soifon stated.

"Proves to me that I still live." Syl said, with his usual smile. "So? What did they find?"

Soifon opened the report. "The place has been there for seven years, according to the rock formations. All kinds of liquor have been spilled all over the place. Supplies were bought legally, though the Kaplans hid the bills." She grabbed something off a paperclip and handed it to Syl. A receipt from a gambling supply store…

"…signed by the Kaplans!" Syl laughed. "Proof that they were running the gambling operation! But, they could put it off as they're forced to buy the supplies."

"Ah." Soifon said, her voice rising in excitement. "They found something on the floor."

"Sea Monkeys?" Asked Syl, earning a appropriate look from Soifon. "Sorry, old police joke. You were saying?"

"They found some of the victim's blood, missed by bleach. They also found that the blood came from the safe. Inside, they found normal fingerprints on the bottom and on some of the recovered guns. So, Eagleton managed to open the safe, and found the guns. The report also mentions that the blood patterns indicates that he was punched, and they believe that Reed matches the type of body that could deliver that kind of damage." Soifon recalled. It took Syl a moment to digest that.

"Okay, Reed fights Eagleton, and…" He turned his computer around to show a picture of Eagleton, a very brisk man, bald and old, but still muscular. "…the two duke it out in the restaurant. Problem is, we found the missing screw from the kitchen door inside Myra's jacket pocket, and no fingerprints on it." Syl said, in a annoyed tone of voice. "And…let me guess about the next thing…" Syl rubbed his forehead. "It has to with the Wet Floor board."

"You guessed right." Soifon said, in the same tone of voice. "Myra's fingerprints were found nowhere in the mess, which is weird, they should have found her prints everywhere."

"Which means they killed Eagleton together, and framed each other to hide under spousal privilege. The evidence we have could be proven false by their lawyer." Syl stated, with a sigh. "Which lead us back to where we started. We need to break them."

"Good luck with that." Toshiro said, arriving behind them. "They're here, with their lawyer…**Szayel.**" With that word, Syl's face went serious. Soifon recalled when he first questioned the Kaplans. Not even close to now.

"Come on." He said. "We need to break them now." He launched right out of his chair, and headed to interrogation.

"One thing to say about Szayel." Toshiro said to Soifon. "He's known for one tactic."

"What's that?" Asked Soifon.

"Tricking you into admitting to defeat."

* * *

><p>"Hello, Syl." Szayel said very calmly, sipping his coffee. "Been awhile."<p>

"Not enough." Syl groaned under his breath.

"What was that, Mr. Great Detective?" Asked Szayel.

"I said, a lot of fat luck."

"Ah."

Soifon felt a bit nervous. Syl wasn't his usual annoying self, and this lawyer (With odd light pink hair) seemed to enjoy this. The Kaplans were holding back smiling themselves, seeing that his very presence disturbed the detectives.

"So…you found guns in a secret safe and a illegal gambling den in my client's place of work." Szayel said with little emotion as possible. "Of that you can convict them, but of the Eagleton murder you can't." The smiles cracked onto the faces of the Kaplans. Soifon felt a tingle down her spine, for a very good reason.

"But, we found evidence that could place your clients right at the scene of the murder." Syl said, not realizing his mistake.

"Well…Mr. Wallace…I should call you as a defense witness to the trial. After all, someone 'could' have framed them, and 'could' have easily used them to fund the gun running and illegal gambling." Szayel crossed his arms; his smile sent chills to the souls of the detectives.

Soifon remained quiet. She continued to eye the Kaplans, hoping to find some sort of a simple twitch to knock them over. The evidence of the case rotated through her head, trying to make sense of it, and find a way to use it against the Kaplans.

A secondary thought entered her head. She spent at least a day and half as a temp detective and went WAY over her head. Stopped a secret drug route stop, and uncovered a gun-&-gambling den. Now, she was trying to stick murder charges to a couple who owned the den, who's lawyer 'could' save them from going to jail all together. She felt nauseous. Dad would pay for this.

She took a quick breath of air to calm her self. Come on. You can do this. She looked at Syl, still peeved that Szayel managed to turn the first statement he said into the possible acquittal. But, he gave her a look of confidence. Another deep breath. Question time.

Wait. The answer to this dilemma is actually quite simple.

"Myra, we found your fingerprints on the legs of the Wet Floor board, which matches the wound on Eagleton's head, the one that knocked him into the fryer. And Reed? In your pants pocket, the one we took after the shootout, we found a stripped bolt from the broken kitchen door in your pocket. CSI confirms that the bolt came loose from a violent struggle. Eagleton's blood proves that." Soifon said, with Syl catching onto her drift.

"What?" Szayel held back his laughter. "That's circumstantial at best."

"Girl." Reed started to say. "You're not very good at this, are ya?"

"Just started." Soifon replied.

"Listen…" Reed held his hand out, like he was going to give a speech. "You can't make us admit to something we didn't do. I might as well admit to smoking, while I'm at it. But then again, I did…a year ago." Reed laughed.

"I used to drink, but like Reed, I gave up a year ago." Myra responded, almost parrot like.

Wait…Soifon recalled something.

"Actually, you traded vices." Soifon recalled. "Reed, you drank something from a bottle, and Myra, you had a cigarette we talked first. You're still lying."

"Now, now…" Szayel tried to quiet Reed, but quieted him with a wave of his hand.

"Listen. Myra works at Joker's America. Her fingerprints would have been found on the Wet Floor board, as well as everywhere. And the bolt that ended up in my pants? Eagleton has visited us every month for every year since we bought his land. His blood could of ended up on the bolt at anytime, and I picked the bolt up the night before the murder because it fell off." Reed sounded drunk. "Got it?"

"Yeah." Syl said, returning to normal. "Just one question."

"Yeah?" Asked Reed, very annoyed.

"Do you know that we lied about the evidence?" Said a calm Soifon.

"What?" Questioned Reed. Myra remained quiet.

"We found the bolt in MYRA'S jacket pocket. REED'S fingerprints were on the Wet Floor board. But, we found no evidence that couldn't put those clues together. No fingerprints on the bolt, but no prints of Myra anywhere in the restaurant. Weird, because, like you just said, Myra works there, and her prints are everywhere." Soifon calmly said. "Well, not this time."

"Wait." Reed tried to say, but Soifon continued.

"As for the board, we have no way of proving that you used it to kill Eagleton. But…" Soifon stopped for a moment to catch her breath. "…I just said there were no prints on the bolt, but you said that you picked it up. And, being a restaurant owner, you would access to gloves. So…why would you pick up a small bolt wearing gloves, but not for handling something that would attracted several dirty things?"

"That's nothing." Szayel said, trying to calm down Reed, who quite clearly was losing it.

"Which means that you fought Eagleton in the dining room, and Myra knocked him into the fryer. After that, you traded spots, putting the bolt in Myra's jacket pocket and getting your prints on the Wet Floor board. You were trying to make it look like that one of you killed Eagleton and framed the other to hide under spousal privilege, or delay us by making the police think that the deceased is the Farm King." Soifon smirked. "The only problem is…you got too complicated for your own good."

Reed looked red.

Syl saw red once Reed punched him.

Everyone jumped back as the rage-filled man flipped the table over, essentially locking the door. Myra hid behind Szayel, who remained emotionless. Reed now looked more buff. Sure, just add on drugs while you're at it.

Soifon waited for Reed to make his move. Reed charged, and Soifon rolled to Syl to check on him. Breathing, with a egg-size bump. Szayel and Myra weren't going to help. So, one rage-filled man? No problem?

Soifon threw two punches at Reed, hitting him, but just annoying him. He grabbed her by her throat, and threw her across the room, almost nicking Szayel. He just stood, almost smiling. Soifon got back up, just to see Reed charge at her again. She vaulted over him, to see Toshiro, Rangiku, Hisagi and other officers trying to break down the window and the door.

She held her hand up, telling them to wait.

She stood still. Kept her arms down. Tighten her body, waiting. Reed took this as a sign of giving up. He charged.

And promptly went to the floor, as Soifon used his weight against him to grab him by the neck and tossed him down. She held him down, and managed to cuff him, despite him continually trying to break free. She grabbed the table and yanked it away, allowing three big uniformed officers to enter and finally take him down for good.

"Is he alright?" Asked Rangiku, running after Reed stop resisting, to Syl's side.

"Breathing with a nasty bruise." Soifon replied, sliding down the wall, tired, despite the short match. Reed looked like he weighed one hundred and seventy, but he must have weighed about three hundred and fifty. He wore big loose clothes to hide his tone, and give him the look of a simple man.

"Did…" Syl spoke with a weak voice. "Did ya get him?" He coughed.

"You're overacting." Said Soifon, before…

* * *

><p>"Honey-bee?"<p>

Soifon woke, and found herself facing her dad, the police commissioner. Balding, but still had dark black hair. His skin was perfect, for fifty-three.

"I heard you passed out while fighting a ex-mob hit man." He said, handing her a cup of tea. She politely took it, and sipped. She asked, "Ex-mob hit man?"

Shirong smiled and spoke. "Reed Kaplan is actually…Reed Kaplan! Yeah, same name, same guy. He hid in plain sight. According to a old mole, he read the New London phonebook and found five other Reed Kaplans. He used to work for the now defunct Southlanders mob, which your aunt busted twenty-two years ago. He was the one of the five that did escape, and actually the third one found, leaving only the bartender look-out and the boss' son."

"And Myra?" Asked Soifon. She realized that she was in Toshiro's office, but had a lack of Toshiro.

"Married him three years before the end." Shirong spoke like he knew this. Soifon knew differently (Her dad had been here for thirty years), but everyone knew about Shirong's ability to memorize anything and recall it perfectly. "Did a look-out job once. She confessed, by the way, after Reed was tranquilized. She knocked Eagleton into the fryer, but only on Reed's word."

"What about Reed? Is New London going to ask for extradition?" Soifon asked.

"Nah." Shirong got up, and handed her Reed's file. A quick look showed that despite him being titled as a hit man, he only killed one man in New London. "Randal Ferris, a druggie. Known to be violent at the drop of the hat. Not many details and clues could be found, so a trial would be a waste of time. He was kept on as 'insurance'. Nah, he's going to die here, along with Dog, and Myra's getting twenty."

Soifon sipped again, placing down the cup and saucer on the desk. "So…anything else happened during my nap?"

"Well, the man running the halfway house is going to have a permanent residence in jail, the gun runners have agreed to testify against the Kaplans, and one of them, the one who murdered his wounded comrade, has agreed to tell us the location of the bartender lookout." Shirong looked rather annoyed. "I found it very common that those who kill often have the most interesting things to say. Sadly, things that could save them."

"Like the Devil's Messiah." Soifon replied.

"Like the Devil's Messiah." Sadly replied Shirong. "Damn him, whenever he's is."

They remained quiet for a minute. Shirong poured Soifon another cup of tea. Only the quiet sipping of tea could be heard.

"So…you're a detective now." Shirong said. "And…before you say anything…it will take only a day to process."

"This will draw attention." Soifon stated. "The news will report this."

"To hell with that. You saved the city from druggies and gunnies. Only the Record will bad-mouth me, but they do that with every official."

"And you have a subscription."

"Great articles, great critics. And…it's worth a laugh."

"Hehe…oh. I'm not too sure about this…."

"The Farm King? I called him, he found himself in the De La Paraiso. He got so drunk with the Kaplans and Dog that he ended up with a new bride, three cars, and a new beach house. I'll talk to him once he sorts things out."

Quiet again. Just a half-minute this time.

"Syl's fine, in case you're wondering." Shirong said, smiling.

"Fine…." Soifon sounded distant.

"Are you…finding him…"

"NO. But I knew he was fine."

"He had to get three stitches. He came close to breaking his nose."

"I see a detective in him, but not a great detective."

"That's him being him. He shows the talent invested within him when the times comes right. It will take time to get used to that."

"But he prefers the lone wolf status."

"He says that, but he likes you. Gave a glowing report on his hospital bed, sent it in with Hisagi's and Toshiro's, who also recommend you very colorfully."

"Was he still complaining?"

"Just when the doctor accidently poked him."

"Hmph."

"Oh, he requested you to stay his partner."

"Actually, I heard about Tosen leaving the force due to medical problems. I like Hisagi…"

"I approved…Toshiro isn't going to like that stain on his wall."

"You moved!...Why? Without asking me?"

Shirong sighed. "Listen to me. I don't have long to be here, budget meeting is in thirty. Syl is a fine detective. He's weird, annoying, hard, and many different things that would prevent one from working like a real detective. But, deep down, he's a man of many strengths. His ability to use logic as a weapon is perfect to be paired up with your new ability to find small details. Believe me. If you want to become a detective, you two will need to grow up together."

Soifon wrinkled his nose. "So, a speech…and you expect me to go along with that?"

"I could make it a order, you know." Shirong smiled a evil smile. "As commissioner, and you, as a detective."

Soifon smirked. "Actually…I agree. Syl could use someone like me." She sighed. "Fine, I work with him."

"Splendid!" Shirong sprung up. "I should get going." He took the empty cups and saucers, and placed them in a briefcase, held down by leather straps. "Well, later honey-bee…Syl."

Soifon jumped again. She quickly turned around to see a smiling Syl, with a white bandaged-nose. "How long…"

"The entire time. You were out for some time. Just enough for me to come back and carry you to your seat. Your dad found it funny." Soifon turned around, only to see nothing, and hear the side door of Toshiro's office closing. Damn him.

"Come on, partner." Syl ripped off the bandage from his nose, only grunting a little. He grabbed Soifon with one arm, and held his arm out in a dramatic pose.

"Let's go save the world."

A minute later, Soifon was at her desk, with Syl holding his shattered nose on the ground.

* * *

><p><em>A pet project of mine for a while. Create a elaborate noire detective story involving any sort of universe. Do it, make me a butt monkey, and publish it. It took a while, though. A little over 17K. Yikes, haven't done something like in a while.<em>

_Nothing more to say. Wait for more. _


End file.
